Dark Illusions
by Chibi Pikapuff
Summary: Arkana was a famous and well-respected magician until a terrible accident forced him to turn to the dark side to put the fragments of his life back together...


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DARK ILLUSIONS - CHIBI PIKAPUFF  
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AUTHOR'S NOTE  
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This story is based on the second episode of the duel between Yugi and Arkana the magician, and I wrote it because I felt there were a lot of unanswered questions relating to the story of Arkana's past, and so this is the full account as I think it would have happened. Please leave me reviews because I'd love to know what you think so far, and if you want to flame me then please do it constructively rather than just telling me how rubbish you think it is. Anyway, just to note, I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, because if I did I sure as hell wouldn't be writing fan-fiction on it, so please don't sue me. Anyway, now onto the story.  
  
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CHAPTER ONE  
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The cheering was phenomenal. The screams of delight echoing around the packed stadium and leaking out onto the city streets were so inviting that those too unlucky to purchase a ticket in the three hours before they had completely sold out gathered close to the high gates in the hope of hearing the enchanting voice of the world's most famous magician and illusionist. As the screams quietened down to a dull murmur, the voice of the announcer boomed over the entire building, and in a loud and dramatic voice he introduced the main act of the day, Arkana, giving his first live appearance in six months.  
  
A moment after the voice had subsided, the stage lights dimmed until it was almost impossible to see, before a puff of smoke and a yellow spotlight revealed a figure dressed in red and wearing a blue and white striped mask over his face. A long cloak matching his outfit hung from his shoulders and reached the floor, swaying backwards and forwards as the breeze hit the sides. In his typical opening fashion, he swung the cloak over his entire body, and then promptly threw it into the audience, watching as three or four girls fought over it.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted. "Please welcome to the stage, my fantastic assistant Katherine." The cheering began once again as he pointed his finger in the direction of a pure white dove who flew from its perch offstage and landed on the tip of his outstretched finger. He quickly produced a plain black top hat from behind his back, and carefully enclosed the bird inside it. Throwing the hat in the air, he clicked his finger, and as it fell, a beautiful blonde woman emerged dressed in the same pure white colour as the bird, sporting a pair of wings and with the top hat sitting neatly on her head. From behind the pair, huge crimson curtains opened wide and revealed Arkana's set behind it.   
  
In the centre of the stage was a tall, thin purple box with various holes in the sides. Arkana skipped towards the box and bowed to his audience before opening the partitioned door at the front and stepping inside. As Katherine closed the door behind him, she picked up five long and sharp looking knives from a small table nearby, and smiling to the audience, begun to insert the knives into the holes. The audience gasped as the first one entered right where Arkana's head would be, and reappeared at the other side. They gasped even louder each time a knife entered, and by the fifth one they were almost in hysterics, having never seen the trick being done before. As quietly and calmly as before, Katherine removed the knives and slowly opened the door to reveal a perfectly fine Arkana standing inside, grinning knowingly to himself. Emerging from the box, he bowed to his audience once again as cheering once again filled the room.   
  
An hour later, much to the disappointment of the thousands of viewers, Arkana disappeared in a puff of smoke and lights after thanking his audience for coming to see him perform, and still buzzing from what they had seen, they left the room, chatting among themselves and hoping deeply that he would come back and perform for them again as soon as possible.  
  
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Arkana let himself drop onto the soft bed of the hotel room his agent had booked for the night and took a sip of a glass of sparkling champagne from the bottle standing on his bedside table. Lying next to the bottle, which was almost empty, was a pile of holiday brochures, the top one giving information on trips to Hawaii. As the cheering of the audience continued to echo around his mind, he reached deep into the pocket of his flowing leather jacket and pulled out box covered in shimmering black velvet and so small it fitted into the palm of his hand. He smiled warmly and ran his fingers through his flowing hair as he carefully opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring that illuminated the entire room when it caught the moonlight shining through the window.   
  
"Katherine, my love," he spoke quietly to himself. "Tomorrow night, you will be mine forever."  
  
As he gazed at his own reflection in the surface of the diamond, he jerked as a loud knock sounded at the door. He watched in annoyance as the ring left it's box and tumbled to the floor, landing and rolling several times before coming to a stop by his foot.  
  
"Who is it?!" he shouted in disgust as he leaned over and picked up the ring, dusting it over with his finger to reserve it's shine before placing it carefully back in it's box and slipping it in his pocket. When there was no answer to his call he sighed loudly, stood up and wandered slowly towards the door. Upon reaching it, he heard the distinct sound of giggling coming from the other side. Fans, he decided, sighing again. His guess was confirmed as he finally swung open the door to reveal two teenage girls almost half his size grinning up at him.   
  
"What do you want?" he asked wearily.   
  
"Could... we.... Please... ifyoudontmind... have your... a... a... autograph... please?" one of the girls stammered. Usually, faced with this situation, Arkana would have made his excuses and closed the door in their faces, as he usually got his agent to deal with the fans. However, he had been getting bad press over the past few months over his rudeness, and so he had vowed to make more of an effort.  
  
"Sure," he said reluctantly, holding his hand out to take their programmes from the show. Using a marker pen one of the girls had handed him, he begun to scrawl his name over the picture of himself on the cover. Finishing, he put the pen behind his ear and stood and thinking for a moment.  
  
"Do you have names?" he asked.  
  
"Erm..." the girls murmured in unison before falling into silence.  
  
"Well, isn't that a coincidence," he grinned. "That you both have the same name, I mean." He put pen to paper once again and, in the same scrawling writing, added a personal message above his name.  
  
Erm,  
Thanks for coming to see the show. Take care.  
  
With another grin, he wrote the same on the other programme and handed them back to the girls with a smile.  
  
"I'll see you at the next show," he said, before turning round and closing the door in their faces. Chuckling quietly to himself, he took up the glass of champagne and poured its remaining contents down the bathroom sink, deciding he had drunk enough already. As he was in the process of doing the same with the bottle, he heard a sound coming from outside.  
  
"Great!" he exclaimed to himself. "Don't they ever quit?" Throwing the bottle in the waste bin, he emerged from the bathroom and was about to open the door again when he noticed a small piece of paper lying on the floor, one corner disappearing beneath the door. He bent down and picked it up. Curious, he carefully unfolded it and sat down at the desk in the room before reading the message written there.  
  
Arkana,  
Was extremely impressed by your performance and would be most grateful if you would allow me to interview you for a new celebrity show. If you are interested, please meet the limo I will send to the hotel for you tomorrow morning at 10.   
Yours Sincerely  
M. I. 


End file.
